Sands of Nezza

by M. L. Forman

  “And the last group?”

  “Peasants,” said Savage. “The common people, who are all poor and worn out. Your clothes are too new, your boots are too shiny, and you don’t look worn down by years of struggling just to get enough to eat.”

  “I do have some older clothes that I can wear,” Alex said. “And some old boots as well.”

  “Nothing with too much color in it,” said Savage. “Most of the common people here wear gray or brown clothes. Only the lords can afford to wear clothes with bright colors in them.”

  “I understand,” said Alex.

  “Also, keep your head bowed as much as you can,” said Savage. “Remember, peasants are the bottom of the heap here. They don’t ask questions. They don’t stand up to soldiers or look them in the face. Peasants do what they’re told and only speak when spoken to.”

  “Not a pleasant life,” Alex said in a thoughtful tone.

  “No, it’s not,” Savage agreed. “It’s not so bad in some of the kingdoms where the lords aren’t so greedy and hungry for power. I think Karmus is probably the worst place in all of Nezza, and Lazar is the worst lord in this land.”

  “I’ve heard something of Lazar,” said Alex.

  “Nothing good, I’m sure,” said Savage.

  “No, nothing good. I did manage to talk with a few soldiers when I first arrived here—and don’t worry, they don’t remember talking to me,” Alex added quickly after seeing the concern on Savage’s face. “They seemed to think that Lazar might have magic of his own.”

  “Lazar—magic?” Savage laughed. “I’d bet my boots have more magic in them than Lazar has. He’s nothing but a greedy bully.” Savage paused. “But there is the old man . . .”

  “What old man?”

  “Magnus,” said Savage. “Not sure what name you wizardly types would give him—enchanter, magician, dark wizard, whatever. I’ve never seen him do anything really impressive, but he’s got his own magic, I’m sure of that.”

  “More than you might guess,” said Alex.

  “How’s that?” Savage questioned.

  “Unless there are other magical people in this land, I suspect Magnus has worked some fairly impressive magic at the great arch.”

  “Not many magical people in Nezza at all,” said Savage. “Magic is feared by almost everyone in this land, and all the old stories say that wizards are evil. I’d have to agree that Magnus is the source of any magic you’ve run into. What has he done?”

  “There’s an invisible barrier in front of the great arch,” said Alex. “It forces anyone entering this land to follow the main road, where the soldiers of Lord Bray are waiting.”

  “If this magic helps Bray, then it helps Lazar as well,” said Savage. “How did you manage to get around the barrier?”

  “I didn’t,” said Alex. “I did, however, use my own magic so that the soldiers couldn’t see me. It was after I’d slipped away from the main road that I managed to talk to a few of Bray’s soldiers and get what little information I could.”

  “Little enough, I’m sure,” said Savage. “Soldiers may know something of their lord and his business, and maybe something of what’s going on in the land as well, but mostly they think about where their next meal is coming from and if they’ll be sleeping in the rain or not.”

  “The soldiers did mention a prince named Rallian,” said Alex, fishing for more information.

  “A common enough subject these days,” said Savage. “He is, or rather he should have been, the lord of Karmus. He was just coming of age, and all at once he goes missing. No doubt his dear uncle Lazar has something to do with his sudden disappearance.”

  “Do you think the prince is dead?” Alex asked. “The soldiers I spoke to said they had been told he was on a quest.”

  “Hard to say,” Savage answered in a slow, thoughtful tone. “I think Lazar would be happy to get rid of any threat to his power, but . . .”

  “But?”

  “Rallian is from the line of the true king,” said Savage. “Killing people doesn’t bother Lazar, but killing a real prince is different. There are stories about what happens when royal blood is spilled. I’m sure Lazar would think twice before taking any chances.”

  “I suppose he would,” said Alex. “I only asked because I was curious. The soldier I spoke with seemed sad that Rallian was gone, and that seemed odd to me.”

  “Not so odd,” Savage replied. “The people of Nezza have been looking for a true king for a long time. They don’t talk about it much, but everyone seems to remember the good old days when there was one king in Nezza. Rallian was believed to be the best chance for the land to have one true king again, and now that he’s gone missing . . .”

  “The hopes of the people begin to fade,” Alex finished for him.

  “Yes,” said Savage. “I suspect the hope will return when another prince is found, but who knows when that will be?”

  “That might be a long time,” said Alex. “I understand that seven young lords have also vanished.”

  “Not exactly,” said Savage. “They haven’t been seen for some time, but nobody is really looking for them. If you ask me, the lords of the inner kingdoms know where their kinsmen are, and they don’t want to talk about it.”

  “You’ve been a great help to me,” said Alex. “I think, with a change of clothes, I can do what I came here to do.”

  “Perhaps, if rescuing your friend and his company is all you want to do. I saw the look in your eye when I told you about Magnus,” said Savage. “I know enough about wizards to know that you have some code or rule of wizardry that says you have to make him answer for any evil he has done with his magic. Is that not true?”

  “There are rules, but I don’t have to go looking for trouble,” said Alex, avoiding the question.

  “When it comes to Magnus, you may not go looking for trouble, but I think you’ll find it just the same,” Savage said.

  “What do you mean?” Alex asked.

  “Since I’ve been in Nezza, I’ve taken the time to listen to the old stories and find out a bit of the history of the land. I’ve learned some interesting things about Magnus.”

  “What have you learned?”

  “Magnus is just the name he uses now,” said Savage. “Twenty years ago, he was called Simeon, and he had another name before that. I can’t prove it, but I think Magnus has been here in Nezza for at least two hundred years—maybe longer.”

  “So what is he doing here?” Alex asked. “Why would he stay in Nezza for so long?”

  “I can’t say why, but I know what he’s been doing. He’s been stirring up old hatreds between the lords and keeping the kingdoms of Nezza from working together,” said Savage. “The stories about Simeon all talk about how war and trouble followed him. He used to travel the land, never staying in one place for long. Wherever he went, something bad followed. Sometimes it was war, sometimes the crops failed, sometimes there would be a drought or a flood.”

  “So what has changed since he became Magnus?” Alex questioned.

  “Ah, that is the question,” said Savage. “He’s stopped traveling around Nezza—or at least nobody’s seen him travel. He keeps himself close to Karmus, and he pretends to serve Lazar.”

  “Pretends to serve?”

  “Lazar is a bully and a fool. I think it likely that Lazar serves Magnus, and not the other way around.”

  “But why?” said Alex.

  “I can’t say,” Savage answered. “You know how you can look at some people and just sort of know what they are like? Well, I know that Magnus is no good.”

  “It sounds like he’s the cause of the trouble here in Nezza,” Alex commented.

  “Let me give you some advice about dealing with Magnus: he is a planner. What I mean is that if you face him, for whatever reason, he will have at least three plans.”

  “Three plans?” Alex asked.

  “One to defeat you,” Savage continued. “A second one for his own escape, and a third one that you nev
er thought about.”

  “That will make it hard for me to defeat the third plan,” said Alex with a slight smile.

  “Laugh if you will, but I’m serious,” said Savage. “I know enough about Magnus to know he probably already has a plan to avoid running into any wizard who might come to Nezza, and a second plan to deal with them if he does meet them.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” said Alex. “But the fact remains, I don’t have to go looking for trouble, so I might not have to worry about his plans at all.”

  “Worry about them anyway,” Savage warned. “He might have a plan to use you in some way and turn your sudden appearance here to his advantage.”

  “You have a devious mind,” said Alex. “But no one knows I’m in Nezza except for you and Mr. Clutter, so I can’t see how Magnus could plan to use me.”

  “Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” said Alex.

  “Good. Now, I don’t suppose you have anything worth eating in that magic bag of yours? My own bag isn’t as well stocked as I would like, and with the current situation in Nezza, it might be some time before I can restock it,” said Savage.

  “I’m sure I have plenty for the two of us to eat,” Alex said with a laugh. “And I can probably help restock your bag as well.”

  Alex conjured up a fire to cook on and started taking things out of his magic bag. Savage actually did the cooking, and Alex was glad that he did. Savage was an excellent cook, and they were soon eating and talking about the different small kingdoms of Nezza.

  They had just finished their meal when Savage suddenly stopped talking and held up his hand. Alex remained quiet as well. With a wave of his hand, Alex put out the fire. He listened to the darkness that had fallen around them. He could hear something moving on the hillside. It sounded like something big, and it wasn’t worried about making noise.

  Chapter Four

  Stoics

  Alex and Savage crawled back under the low hanging tree, stopping at the edge of its shadow to look down the hillside. The sound of something moving was growing louder; it was getting closer to them. The moon had just risen, and its light cast long shadows between the trees. Alex and Savage waited in silence, and then Savage pointed at something in the darkness.

  Alex had seen the movement as well, but he couldn’t make out what it was. The creature continued forward until it was only twenty yards away from Alex and Savage’s hiding spot, and then it stopped. The night grew silent, and time seemed to stand still.

  “What is it?” Savage whispered.

  “No idea,” Alex whispered back.

  For several minutes nothing happened. Alex was trying to figure out what the creature was, but it was impossible to guess in the darkness. The creature remained silent, as still as stone. After what seemed like a long time, Savage spoke once more.

  “Do something.”

  “Like what?” Alex questioned.

  “You’re the wizard. Do something, you know, magical,” said Savage, holding up his hands and wiggling his fingers.

  Alex rolled his eyes at Savage and then turned to look at the creature in the darkness. He didn’t like the idea of facing an unknown creature. It might be something friendly; it might not even know that he and Savage were hidden under the tree. Unfortunately, Alex didn’t think this creature was friendly, and he was sure it knew exactly where he and Savage were.

  After a few more minutes went by, Alex crawled out from under the tree branches and got to his feet. Lifting his staff, he caused the end of it to ignite with a brilliant white light.

  “I am Alexander Taylor, wizard and friend of the council of wizards. What is your business here?”

  There was no reply. The creature stood still for a moment, and then it seemed to bend forward slightly, like it was bowing. Alex tried to get a better look at it in the light of his staff, but his light did more to show him to the creature than it did to show the creature to him.

  The creature suddenly moved, charging forward at Alex.

  Jumping to his left, Alex caught his foot on a dead branch and half stumbled, half rolled out of the way. He was back on his feet as an ear-splitting crack filled the air. It was the sound of stone striking stone, and it sounded as if at least one of the stones had broken.

  Alex looked over at Savage. He had managed to get out of the way as well, though he appeared to be tangled in a nearby bush. Not waiting for the creature to make another charge, Alex sent a ball of flame crashing into it. The fireball exploded on impact, filling the narrow rocky space with light.

  His fireball didn’t harm the creature, at least not as far as Alex could see, but the light was useful. The creature appeared to be made of stone that had been carefully carved into the figure of a giant man.

  The creature bowed again, and Alex knew it was about to charge. He cast a binding spell to hold the creature in place and was stunned when he felt his magic slide off the stone creature like water. He changed his magic to a tangling spell, hoping to keep his attacker in the narrow space between the giant stones and to give himself time to think.

  His tangling spell had taken the form of a mass of heavy vines wrapping around the creature’s body and pulling it back into the gap. The spell was working, but only just. The creature was incredibly strong, and Alex had to add more power to his spell to keep the monster from breaking free.

  As strong as the earth, a voice said in the back of Alex’s mind.

  The voice was Alex’s O’Gash, what most people would call his wizard’s sixth sense. He had heard the voice many times in the past, and it had always helped him when he needed it most.

  “Oh,” Alex said out loud, suddenly realizing what the creature was.

  It was an earthen stoic, a creature summoned by magic and given a human form. Stoics were hard to create, even for a wizard, and harder to destroy. The creature wouldn’t get tired, it couldn’t be reasoned with, and it had only one task to complete before it would be free. Alex knew he had to force the stoic out of the shape it had been given in order to destroy it, but how? As he desperately tried to find an answer, his O’Gash spoke once more.

  Heat can crack the hardest stone; water can wear it down. If heat and water work together, what will happen? said the voice.

  “Heat and water,” Alex said out loud. He began searching for a stream or a well that he could use against the earthen stoic.

  There wasn’t a stream on the hillside, but there was a great deal of water just the same. Pouring more magic into his tangling spell, Alex added another spell as well. He poured dragon fire into the narrow gap between the rocks; the deadly, almost liquid fire was one of a dragon’s most deadly weapons. The stoic vanished in the flames, but Alex knew that it wasn’t dead yet.

  “Do you think making it hotter is a good idea?” Savage asked from behind Alex.

  There wasn’t time to explain what he was about to do, so his answer was a short one. “Find some cover.”

  Sending his magic out in every direction, Alex worked as fast as he could. Trees creaked and groaned as his magic touched them, and the plants at his feet withered and crumbled to dust. When he thought his magic had gathered enough water, Alex pushed his magic into the body of the stoic. His mouth went dry as he let the magic go, diving to the ground and throwing his arms over his head for protection.

  The night was silent for a moment, and then a whistling hiss filled the air. The sound of escaping steam lasted only a second before an explosion ripped the silent night apart. The ground shook under Alex, and he could hear bits of stone flying through the air. After a few seconds, he looked up. The dragon fire had gone out, and the narrow gap between stones where his enemy had been was empty.

  Alex got to his feet and leaned on his staff, trying to draw in enough air to fill his lungs. He felt like he’d run for miles, and his dry throat made every breath painful.

  Savage walked up beside him, holding out a water bag. “I’m glad you said t
o take cover, but the noise will let everything for miles around know where we are.”

  “You think there are more creatures like this one out there?” Alex asked after taking a long drink.

  “I don’t even know what this one was,” Savage answered.

  “A stoic,” said Alex.

  “Not easy to create something like that I’d guess,” said Savage in a thoughtful tone. “It’d take some time and know-how to do something like that.”

  “Weeks, maybe months, of work and planning,” said Alex, nodding. “Why?”

  “I’m just wondering why it showed up here—tonight,” said Savage.

  “I don’t understand,” said Alex.

  “Was this creature sent here to destroy you—or me?”

  “A good question,” said Alex, taking another long drink. “I don’t think we should stay here to find the answer though. Is there a stream or a pond close by?”

  “There’s a stream about two miles southwest of here. Why?” Savage asked.

  “Because I don’t think I can work that same magic twice in one night,” said Alex. “I’d like to have some water close by, in case another earthen stoic shows up.”

  Savage nodded and started walking. Alex followed close behind, not wanting to get lost in the darkness. His legs felt weak, and he knew it was because of the magic he had used. Magic had a price after all, but Alex thought that weak legs and being dead tired were a small price to pay for escaping the stoic.

  They walked for almost a mile before Alex had to stop. The magic he’d used to destroy the stoic had taken more out of him than he’d thought, and all he wanted to do was to rest.

  “Wait,” said Alex, reaching out to touch Savage’s shoulder. “I need a few minutes to catch my breath.”

  “This isn’t the best spot to be sitting and resting,” said Savage.

  Alex looked at the hillside they were standing on. There were no trees and only a few small bushes. He suddenly felt very exposed.

  “We should find better cover. But I’d like to rest and perhaps talk for a few minutes before going on,” said Alex.

  Savage nodded and headed down the hill. Alex followed slowly, each step a little harder to take than the last. He paused after only going about fifty yards, focusing his mind and using the elf magic he had learned to help him rest. Alex’s body relaxed, his muscles loosened, and he continued on more quickly. The elf magic would let his mind and body rest, almost like he was sleeping, but he could continue to move and talk just the same.